Upcoming Events

The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) is offering its 4th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2015 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts. This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.

Come learn the concept of marketing and branding agricultural business. This session will introduce you to techniques that maximize sales once you get someone to your place of sale. Michael McCusker will review effective display options, store flow, and other aspects of point of sale design. He will review examples of good and bad designs through a power point presentation with lots of slides of marketing set ups. This is a great way to evaluate and improve your current market booth space, store layout, or farm stand. Part of a seven-workshop series on Branding & Communication Strategies.

This annual event will attract over 700 organizers, community leaders, CSA members, local food advocates, urban and rural farmers, food professionals, entrepreneurs, and members of the press to participate in a full day of trainings, panels, policy discussions, and good food. Conference programming will cover over 40 different topics including farm and food policy issues, approaches to urban agriculture, culinary and food preservation techniques, and community-driven efforts to advance food justice throughout New York City.

Come learn the concept of marketing and branding agricultural business. Final session for those participants who enrolled in the whole series. This session will allow participants to sign up for additional limited one-on-one support to begin to implement a marketing plan. Presenters will be available to meet with attendees through a “sidewalk” café type setting where presenters each have their own table and attendees rotate through presenters to ask specific questions, follow up or get feedback on aspects of their own marketing plan. Part of a seven-workshop series on Branding & Communication Strategies.

A conference exploring the intersections between social, economic, and environmental justice and the food system.
Everybody eats, but do you eat just food? Featuring Ricardo Salvador, Director, UCS Food and Environment Program.

Updates from the Field

Nominations are now being accepted until Friday, 2/27 for the Advisory Committee on Agriculture. USDA has re-opened nominations as they are especially looking for folks from Farm Services Organization, Producer and Marketing Organization, Consumer and Information Organizations, National Farm Organizations (They have received a lot of nominations from from Universities and Educational Organizations).

Farmers and ranchers have until February 27 to apply to enroll in the federal Conservation Stewardship Program for 2015. Learn how the program works and navigate the application process: check out NSAC's brief Information Alert with application and deadline details for this year, and the more comprehensive Farmer’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program.

The USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture posted a Request for Applications for the 2015 round of the Community Food Project Grants Program. Approximately $9 million will be available for this funding cycle. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MARCH 17, 2015.

Our region’s fisheries flood our markets with millions of pounds of high-quality protein and billions of dollars in revenue each year, yet are sometimes marginalized in discussions of improving our regional food system. Read about how one network devoted to healthy marine ecosystems and economies is raising its collective voice above the fray.